Sport: Power to the Porsches

In the hierarchy of international sports-car racing, makes of machines
tend to reign like Old World dynasties. In the 1950s, England's noble
Jaguars ruled the raceways. Through the 1960s, the dashing, blood-red
Ferraris from Italy were the Medicis of the macadam. Now, after two
decades of plotting an overthrow, the house of Porsche is coming to
power.

Horsepower, that is. Always a top competitor in its class, Porsche in
past years was known as the Volkswagen of sports carsa small, sturdy
"superbug" that made up in precision performance what it lacked in
muscle. In the past two years, however, Porsche debuted two...